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    Becoming sisters to their brothers-in-arms: the story of Sgt. Larimer, Spc. Balajadia

    Becoming sisters to their brothers-in-arms: the story of Sgt. Larimer, Spc. Balajadia

    Photo By Chief Warrant Officer James Marchetti | U.S. Army Sgt. Noryann Larimer and Spc. El Jessica Joi Balajadia, carpentry and...... read more read more

    LOP BURI PROVINCE, THAILAND

    02.16.2015

    Story by Cpl. James Marchetti 

    Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

    CHAI BADAN DISTRICT, LOP BURI PROVINCE, Thailand - Having grown up in a military household — her father a career infantryman in the Guam National Guard — El Jessica Joi Balajadia knew at a very young age that she wanted to be a U.S. soldier.

    At 32-years-old, and in 2009, Balajadia decided to finally make this dream happen. Leaving her four children in the capable hands of her husband, she made the journey across 16 time zones from Yona, Guam, to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, to report for basic training.

    “I just wanted to be a Soldier,” said now Spc. Balajadia, 38 years old and participating in her first international exercise with a detachment from 797th Engineer Company, based out of the U.S. Reserve Center in Barrigada, Guam. Exercise Cobra Gold 2015 has brought her and her unit to Thailand, tasking them with the construction of a new facility at an elementary school in Ban Nhong-Plong, located in Chai Badan District.

    “With (my father), it was always about being ready to adapt and change to any obstacle,” she added. “He got out when I was in my teens, but I still carry that mindset with me now.”

    After injuring her ankles and heels during training, Balajadia was kept on medical hold for seven months and eventually discharged from the service. She returned home disappointed, but with renewed fortitude.

    Over the next three years she rehabbed her injuries and spent time with 797th Engineer Company to stay involved with the military. She eventually came to accept the unit as her second family.

    Her children were upset when she left again for basic in 2012 in pursuit of her dream, but she promised them her best and delivered accordingly.

    “In truth, I knew that I would belong in this unit,” said Balajadia. “I really wanted an opportunity to experience that cohesion; it’s a family thing with 797. Where I come from in the civilian side, it’s just like that - all about family. That’s how we are in Guam.”

    Balajadia went on to graduate basic after her second attempt and, upon completion of her military occupational specialty school, officially became a sister to her brothers-in-arms with her family from 797th Engineer Co.

    As one of the less-experienced members in her unit, CG15 has bombarded Balajadia with an unfamiliar and intricate mission that she must confront with the help of her teammates.

    One of only two females in the tight-knit unit, she has forged a special bond with Sgt. Noryann Larimer, who shares her military occupational specialty in carpentry and masonry.

    At 27 years old, Larimer is 11 years Balajadia’s junior. However, Larimer has already served tours in Thailand, India and Germany – CG15 being the fourth experience constructing a building from the ground up on unfamiliar soil.

    “She’s had her experiences… So me, as the newbie, would come to her and ask, ‘Is this the right tool? How do I do this? Is this the right way?,’” said Balajadia, who added that she keeps a pair of sergeant chevrons – a motivational catalyst bestowed to her from Larimar - nestled underneath her collar.

    “We’re the only two females out here, so – it’s not that I feel more comfortable asking her questions per say, but - if I know that she knows it, she’s my go-to-guy.”

    In the civilian sector, Larimer works as a ramp agent for Delta Air Lines and Balajadia works in construction administration. Prior to joining the Reserves, besides Baladia’s basic understanding of supply and inventory, neither soldier had any intricate understanding of the construction field.

    Both women took their oaths of enlistment with the understanding that, not only were they joining an already male-dominant culture in the military, but that they would be entering into a field that was even more so.

    “When I found out what jobs were open to me after my ASVAB, I was like - well, this is something new, but I’m always ready to learn,” said Larimer, a native of Maite, Guam, who joined the service after being exposed to the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in 2006, during her freshman year of college. ASVAB, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, is a test used to measure abilities and help predict future academic and occupational success in the military.

    “I guess I’m kind of different,” she added. “I want to prove to these guys that I can do their job, and I’ll get my boots dirty to do it.”

    Both soldiers agree that getting the building at Ban Nhong-Plong finished in the allotted time, coupled with difficulties inherent to CG15 such as the language barrier and technical differentiation between U.S., Thai and Chinese counterparts, is a challenge that all of the engineers, regardless of uniform, must conquer together.

    “My unit takes care of me in the sense that they don’t treat me like I’m just a female and don’t let us try things just because of that,” said Balajadia. “And I’m definitely one to say that just because I’m a female doesn’t mean I can’t do that. I’ll try it! Guide me, tell me how to do it and I’ll make an attempt.”

    As the only females contributing to project, they believe that they must maintain a high degree of enthusiasm at all times, demonstrate their collective technical expertise, and dispel any preconceived notions their international comrades might have had coming into CG15.

    “At the beginning, the Thais looked at us with shock; like, ‘What are they doing here?’” Balajadia laughed. “But as they saw us work, pick up blocks, shovel cement ...”

    “Even just talking to us, [they observed], ‘Whoa – these aren’t your typical girls,’” chimed in Larimer. “It all goes back to us wanting to prove ourselves, especially to these other countries.”

    Balajadia feels that her motherly intuition allowed her to contribute to the project in a unique way. When deadlines approach and tension is high, she takes a step back, assesses the situation; then tackles the behind-the-scenes dirty work — something that almost comes naturally to a mother of four.

    “I’ve tried a vast majority of the things that the skilled workers do, so now I put myself in positions to support them,” said Balajadia. “I’ll help where I can and do my part in making sure what they need is there. At the end of the day, when we’re almost done working, I’ll make sure that everything is taken care of so that they can just be done and not have to clean the gear or shovel cement. They put down their tools and the place is already pretty tidied up.”

    Larimer, who aspires to be an Army careerist and move into the officer ranks one day, will continue to take the challenges in stride in order to hone her craft as both a leader and constructor.

    “I just got promoted two years ago, so even I’m still trying to learn how to do this job,” said Larimer. “One day, when I’m an officer, I want to be that person they look at and say, ‘She knows her stuff.’ When I get there, I want to be able to tell my juniors that I understand their struggles, and help them get to where I am.”

    As their project in Thailand winds down, both soldiers have gained experiences in their field, and in this country, that will mold them into better soldier-citizens.

    “Even though I went to Thailand last year, this time I got to actually learn more – how the columns get up, how to set the foundation,” said Larimer. “From the ground up, I’m learning the [construction] process more and more.”

    “This is a whole different perspective on life,” said Balajadia. “You see buildings come up all over the world, but working with the Thais and Chinese in this country is probably something I’ll never get a chance to do again.”

    “One day,” she continued, “I really hope to come back here and see the children using this building we made.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.16.2015
    Date Posted: 02.16.2015 07:08
    Story ID: 154568
    Location: LOP BURI PROVINCE, TH
    Hometown: MAITE, GU
    Hometown: YONA, GU

    Web Views: 383
    Downloads: 0

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